ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) spots a planetary system being born
Observations from European Southern Observatory's VLT in Chile has revealed signs of a star system formation
Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets in the past couple of decades. While these discoveries may eventually prove useful in finding habitable worlds, we know little about how these planets form. Researchers might have made a breakthrough now in this regard. Using ESO’s VLT, researchers were able to observe a new planetary system taking shape.
New planets are usually formed in the dusty discs around young stars. One such disc of dust and gas around the young star AB Aurigae was observed by astronomers, spotting a prominent spiral structure with a ‘twist’ — marking the site where a new planet may be taking shape. The study was led by Anthony Bocaletti from the Observatoire de Paris, PSL University in France.
This is the first time that researchers have been able to take sharp images of such a young star system formation, which can provide valuable clues into better understanding the formation of new star systems. These high-resolution images were able to pinpoint with accuracy the ‘twist’ where a baby planet might be in the process of formation.
